Greenpeace USA, one of the nation’s most iconic environmental groups, is threatened with extinction.
The green group is struggling after nearly a decade of losing court battles against a Texas-based energy company co-founded by a billionaire backer of President Donald Trump.
The group is facing possible bankruptcy if a judgment holds up finding that Greenpeace owes hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to the oil pipeline company Energy Transfer. A North Dakota jury found that the environmental group had committed trespassing, conspiracy and defamation while opposing the company’s Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 and 2017.
Internally, the epic legal fight has already taken a toll. The group hasn’t had a permanent leader since its last one was sidelined in 2024. Senior lawyers exited the organization as litigation dragged on. And morale has slumped after the group cut about 20 percent of its staff in anticipation of a budget squeeze.
